Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Pleads Not Guilty to Bribery

Former Mississippi corrections commissioner Christopher Epps pleaded not guilty to bribery charges, said the Associated Press.

Epps, who resigned Nov. 5, is accused of accepting more than $1 million in bribes from businessman Cecil McCrory in exchange for steering contracts to businesses that paid McCrory, a former state representative and judge.

The New York Times reported that Epps is also being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department for alleged squalid prison conditions and violence among guards and inmates.